Report: University of Akron athletics looking at cutting multiple teams

George M. Thomas Beacon Journal

Wednesday

May 13, 2020 at 5:34 PM

University of Akron president Gary L. Miller said in an interview on WKSU (89.7-FM) the athletics department’s looming budget cuts, expected to be announced in total Thursday, will include the loss of teams.

Predicting which programs won’t be cut proves a lot easier than predicting those that will. In recent weeks, Miller has consistently said he wants UA athletics to maintain its Division I status.

To maintain its membership in the Mid-American Conference, UA has to field teams in football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. Teams outside of those could be potentially affected. UA, as have other institutions, has been put in a financial bind by the coronavirus pandemic.

Mid-major athletics programs, which have struggled in a world dominated by Power 5 conferences and their schools, have generally struggled. Just last month, the MAC joined five other schools in requesting a relaxing of NCAA requirements for a period of four years, according to a Yahoo Sports report from April.

The email specifically asked for consideration on financial aid and football attendance requirements.

Any teams cut would have to take the NCAA’s Title IX guidance into consideration, but it seems unlikely that teams which have enjoyed success will be cut. Sports such as men’s soccer, track and field and rifle would fall into that category.

UA resurrected baseball this past season and received significant support from a university alumnus and donor. Women’s lacrosse also began its inaugural season this year. The common thread for those two teams is they are non-scholarship sports, a significant factor in holding down costs.

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